Clasp



Jan. 19, 1932. w. A. H. WELLS 1,841,423

CLASP H i W Y 25 f i /2 W 3/ m A? IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

5 position.

Patented Jan. 19, 1932 WiIlIiIAMiAi H. W LLS, or En nwooD; Rnonn ISLAND QPASI.

indictmen my 29,

This invention relates'to a clasp of the type used for necklaces andflthe'like', and has' for itsobject to provide a construction which-may be economically manufactured and easily op- Another o ect ofthis invention is the M V the chain and assist in preventing them from moving to an appreciable ertent'iiomthef.

ends ofthe clasp;

7 A further object :of theinvention new provision of inwardly bent portions "which will engage prior to the movement of the clasp tofull open position to prevent bending. of the joint end of the tongue to such an extentas to set the'stock against returning by its spring action-, 7 I A A still further object ofthe inventionfis to direct the end portion of the hookontwardly to mo'reeasily receive the loop of the which is to be connected thereto." I With these and other objects' and advantageous features inview,' the invention con sists-of a novel arrangement of partsmore fully disclosed in the detailedfd-e'scription it'ol lowing, conjunction 'with the accompany;

ing drawings; and inoreparticularlv set forth in thejap-pended claims. P

- Fig. 1 is a top plan View ofthe clasp. 1

' as illustrated inv Fig.13 forming thetopand bottom wall and hook 'portion as justpre- 'Fig. 2 is a bottom planvie'w thereof. 7 Fig. 3 is aside elevation.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one of the connecting loop links.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation shoWinQthe tongue of the clasp moved to open position.

It has been common to usespring rings for connecting together the ends; of a necklace chain or thelike, which spring rings have certain disadvantages such as presenting little surface for ornamentation and being more expensive to manufacture than the present invention. I have provided aclasp which may be substituted for the spring ring, which is bent from a single piece of flat wire providchain ing agsubstantial surfacefor ornamentation or the like, and whlch'may be inexpenslvely manufactured and assembled with a pa'irof loopswhichware-connected to the chain and which may he released from 'the elasp asde: 'sired,- and in order'lthat these loops inay be retained at'the opposit foldedends ofthe 1 c'lasp,'1have' bent the opposite. Walls offthe clasp-inwardly at'a point spaced from, but adjacent to, the fol'ded; ends of the cl'aspso that the passa-gelto'the end is restricted and the loops cannot as] readily slide 'alongjthe 1 clasp towardits inid'dleportionto upset the same or permit fouling or twisting o E;the'

necklace When worn. These restrictions at the-so'-calledfjointend ofthe clasp also pro-f vide astop for limiting the amount ofco1n V pression upon-the bent or joint'en'd' of the 2 tongue, preserving thelife of the clasp "at the joint; and the following is a detailed description'of the present embodimentof this invention illustrating the preferred neans'by which these advantageous results maybe accomplished.

9 f i, g With reference to'the drawings, -lO.desig-- nates the front or top wallof the c1asp-and 11 the bottom Wall. or'tonguethereof which is integrally connected to the top vvall U throughTthe'ffoldm forming the so-called j ointiend and-whichlengagesithe lip 13 of the hook '14: .'which is integrally connected-withv the top. or front wall l oy being: folded there "from. r

The clasp is the hem a-strip i flat wire which is folded'up into generally bandshape ed to aloop 17 which may be threaded over the tongue 11 when the clasp is in open position and which is connected to the opposlte end of the chain which it is intended shall be permanently connected to the clasp. The loops l6 and 17 are of substantially identical construction.

In order that the loops 16 and 17 may be retained in their respective ends of the clasp, I have bent the top wall and the hook portion inwardly as at 18 and-l9 toward each'other to restrict the eye 20 of the folded hook in which the loop is located. By this arrange ment, should the loop 16 be moved or drawn. around the hook 14 towards the overlapping of the lip and tongue the inward projection 19 will cause the came to pass the portion of the lip 13 between theprojection l9 and its end so that it will engage the tongue to close rather than open the clasp at the overlapping portions of the band. In a similar manner I have restricted the eye 21 in which the loop 17is located by bendinginwardly the stock of the top wall as 22and the stock of the bottom wall or tongue as at 23, so as to prevent this loop from moving along the clasp to disarrange the loop with reference to the chain and make an untidy apearance when worn. i T. 1

The inwardly-bent portions 22 and 23 serve also as abutment portions when the'tongue 11 is moved to open position as illustrated in r Fig. whereby the amount of .flexing at the joint end 12 is limited. After the inwardly bent portions 22 and 2-3 are in engagement,

' further flexing of the tongue occurs between the point 23 and the end thereof.

The loops 16 and 17 are shaped with their ends 24 and 25' overlapping on an angleto niakea smooth and strong'joint. Each loop is flattened along the portion at which this overlapping occurs to provide a smoother hinge action between the loop and the flattened strip of stock from which the clasp t is bent (see Figs. land 2). The loop is also provided with restricted portions 26 and 27 to provide a generally circular eye or opening 28 for the reception of a chain link or other means of connecting the loop to a chain. This restriction and flattened portion also prevents the loop from being rotated about an. axis within itself with reference to the clasp so that the chainis always in the ole sired position with reference to the clasp.

By this arrangement, and construction, I

invention being defined and limited only by the terms of the appended'claims.

I claim:

1. A clasp comprising a strip of flat wire having a front portion and folded at each folded to provide a band or loop with its ends overlapping nearer one end than the middle, and the opening between the opposite, sides of'theband being restricted adjacent each end of the band, the outer end portion extending outwardly at anangle to the general extent of the band from the point of said restricted portion.

3. A clasp comprising a strip of flat wire folded to provide a band with its ends overlapping nearer one end than the other, said band being bent inwardly fromboth sides at a point spaced from the fold to provide an opening with a restricted neck. v

4. A clasp comprising'a strip of flat wire folded to provide a band with its ends overlapping nearer one end than the other, said band being bent inwardly adjacent each end from both sides at a pointspaced from the folded ends to provide openings between the opposite sides of the band. with restricted neck portions.

5. A clasp comprising astrip of flat wire folded to provide a band with its ends overlapping'nearer one end than the other, said band being bent inwardly from both sides at a point spaced from the fold to provide an opening with a restricted neck, and a loop in said opening with a flattenedside-engaging said fold. r

5. A clasp comprising a strip of flat wire bent to provide a front portion, a hook and a tongue closing the hook, said front portion and tongue being bent inwardly toward each other adjacent the fold between the front portion and tongue to provide abutment portions to engage upon fiexingthe tongue at prede h I termined amount.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

7 WILLIAM A. H. WELLS. 

